About

The Lost Stories Project engages Canadians in the process of commemorating their history. This project brings together members of the public, artists and filmmakers to explore little known stories about the Canadian past. Stories solicited from the public are handed over to artists who have the task of transforming them into inexpensive, site-specific works of public art. Finally, the creative journeys of the artists are documented by a series of short films delivered by this website. Along the way, forgotten moments from Canadian history are brought to light, and viewers have an opportunity to see the choices that have to be made when a story is transformed into a work of public art.

The project is directed by Ronald Rudin, a professor of history and co­-director of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University in Montreal, where the project is based. His fellowship from the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation provided the funding for the project’s pilot episode, Thomas Widd’s Lost Story. The four episodes currently being developed have been made possible by funding from the Government of Canada’s Canada 150 Fund, created to mark the country’s 150th birthday.

The project’s activities are watched over by a team that includes professors from a number of disciplines and from universities across Canada, as well as artists working in various media.

Keith Thor Carlson, Professor of History and Research Chair in Aboriginal and Community-engaged History at the University of Saskatchewan

Lalie Douglas, Montreal artist, creator of the sculpture/mural for the first Lost Stories episode, Thomas Widd’s Lost Story.

Michelle Hamilton, Associate Professor and Director of the Public History MA at Western University.

Bernar Hébert, Montreal-based film producer and director, was the filmmaker responsible for the Lost Stories pilot documentary, Thomas Widd’s Lost Story.